Remote monitoring, detection, and notification systems are useful in a variety of fields. In particular, monitoring areas prone to flooding, such as a basement or bilge of a boat, detecting high volumes of liquid in these areas and notifying a remote user of the same are useful in preventing costly property damage caused by hazardous conditions.
In the field of marine vessels, watercraft may be tied to a dock or mooring and left unattended for extended periods of time, during which the watercraft may take on water. Rising water levels within the watercraft, due to inclement weather, leak, severe listing of the boat, bilge pump failure, or low battery charge, can lead to serious property damage that could be avoided by notifying a remote device of certain hazardous conditions, including the presence of excessive fluid in the bilge of a watercraft. The same is also true of basements, vehicles, or other areas subject to potential flood damage.
Existing systems targeted to detecting the presence of rising water levels rely on an external power source that may be compromised during an emergency or are incapable of remotely alerting someone of perilous conditions. For example, the electrical power outlets on a dock may lose power during a storm or the electrical system of the boat itself could be disabled. During such events, the loss of power renders existing monitoring systems useless and without any means for notifying a remote party of impending disaster. Such failures expose a boat owner to significant risk of damage or even loss of their vessel.
Thus, there is a substantial need for methods and apparatus for detecting the presence of liquids and alerting a remote device of the presence of the same. There is a substantial need for an apparatus that is not dependent on an external power source for detecting the presence of a liquid and alerting a remote device of the presence of the liquid.